


It is what it is (until it was what it was)

by fiveyaaas



Series: When You Were Young [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, First Kiss, Five referencing The X-Files is the entire reason this fic happened, Fluff, I’m obsessed with the song rn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, thinking about how we were ROBBED of not getting to hear more about them being best friends in s2, title taken from lyrics of sister of pearl which played in s2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25769830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveyaaas/pseuds/fiveyaaas
Summary: “I’ve decided I’m going to introduce you to The X-Files.”“Is that some sort of mission you’re working on?”He frowned, grabbing a VHS tape from his stash of mostly sci-fi media and pushing it into the VCR. Five scowled as he realized he hadn’t rewinded the tape when he watched it last time and set to rewinding it. “It’s a TV show,” he explained over his shoulder.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Series: When You Were Young [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864873
Comments: 36
Kudos: 165





	It is what it is (until it was what it was)

**Author's Note:**

> This is just another fluff piece about them when they were little kids. It 100% happened because I realized if Five has seen X-Files he had to watch it some time before he went to the apocalypse probably and him watching it with Vanya is too cute to resist writing about.

Five was still wearing his mask from a mission when he grabbed Vanya and blinked to his hideout. 

Vanya’s skin tinged green. “Why would you do that without telling me first?”

“We have free time because of the mission,” he explained. “And I wanted to get here before the others forced me into doing something else.” 

“Where are we?” Vanya scanned the room around her. 

“My hideout,” he said. “I am entrusting you with keeping it a secret, and you are not allowed to tell any of the others about it.”

“Why me?” she asked. 

Five felt his cheeks warm, choosing to ignore her question. The others teased him about having a crush on her endlessly, which he never acknowledged. Still, when he would glance over at Vanya at dinner, the others would all give him a knowing smirk that he hated. He didn’t have a crush, she was just his best friend. They were idiots anyways; everyone besides Ben wouldn’t think to be friends with her just because she had no powers.

“I’ll go get snacks,” he said when he realized she was still staring at him expectantly. “I have a plan.”

He blinked out before she would say anything else, trying to ignore Klaus and Ben teasing him as he started making sandwiches. 

“Off to see your girlfriend?” Klaus asked. 

“She’s not my… Shut up,” he grumbled, accidentally tearing a piece of bread as he scraped the knife too hard against it. 

“You shouldn’t monopolize her,” Ben said. “I have to spend time with Klaus now that you and Vanya keep excluding me.”

Five frowned at Ben. “I don’t think you or Klaus mind that anyways.”

Ben and Klaus looked like they were about to try to hit him, but he snatched the plate with Vanya and his snacks and jumped back to his hideout. She was sitting down, observing the place with a confused look. 

When he sat down next to her, wordlessly handing her a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, she pulled the crust off and smiled at him. “What is your plan?”

“I’ve decided I’m going to introduce you to  _ The X-Files _ .”

“Is that some sort of mission you’re working on?” 

He frowned, grabbing a VHS tape from his stash of mostly sci-fi media and pushing it into the VCR. Five scowled as he realized he hadn’t rewinded the tape when he watched it last time and set to rewinding it. “It’s a TV show,” he explained over his shoulder. 

“What’s it about?”

He settled down next to her once he had gotten the tape ready. He picked up a sandwich, biting in and smiling over at her.

“You’re still wearing your mask,” she commented, and he frowned at that before his heart quickly started pounding. Vanya had reached over and taken it off, setting it beside them. “How do you even see with that thing on?”

Five felt like his face might burn off, that Vanya might actually have some sort of superpower after all which was to instill panic in a person. 

“Five, you look sick, are you okay?” She put her hand on his face again and he was pretty certain that he was in some sort of Hell dimension for pubescent teens. 

“I’m fine,” he said, infinitely grateful he hadn’t stuttered. The TV show started then, and Five thanked the universe for not completely failing him here. 

Immediately though, he realized Vanya was a wonderful companion for many things, but she apparently asked questions repeatedly when she watched shows. 

“Why does that guy look all staticy?” she asked at the opening scene. “If this is supposedly based on real things, does that mean he has superpowers too?”

Five frowned at her. “Watch the show.”

“What are those marks on that girl?” 

“Vanya, we are less than two minutes into this,” he scowled. “Just keep watching!”

She pouted, leaning her head on his shoulder. Five had a panic attack as she stayed silent for approximately six more minutes. 

“Are Mulder and Scully together romantically?”

Five made a face. “They just met.”

“They have something, trust me.” 

Five rolled his eyes, “Keep watching.”

She made a discontented noise, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Maybe this would make her flustered too and she would actually pay attention to the show.

“What’s wrong with their radio?” Apparently, it didn’t work. 

“Vanya, aren’t you aware you’re supposed to pay attention when you watch shows? And be silent?”

She made a sad face, which made him want to retract his statement immediately. “Sorry, that was rude,” he mumbled. It occurred to him as she moved away to lay down  _ not  _ on him that they had been what was very close to cuddling, and none of the others would ever let him live it down. It’s good that she moved away, for sure. They’d never let him hear the end of it. Which was stupid because they were best friends, and nothing more.

“Five?” 

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” 

He cleared his throat several times. Did friends ask things like that? Yes, he decided. They definitely did. “No, I haven’t.”

“Not even a fan?” she asked. “To try it?”

“Gross.” He wouldn’t kiss fans of him, they might be more terrifying than people he had to fight. At least the  _ enemies _ of the Academy didn’t try to break in and take pictures of him sleeping. 

He wondered if he should pause the tape. Maybe Vanya wanted to ask him seriously about something, like she had a crush on one of the others.

“Have, ah, you kissed anyone?” he asked, pausing the tape quickly so she could speak. They were confidantes, which meant he was supposed to listen to all of her problems. He really hoped she didn’t have romantic problems though. That would be  _ awful _ ; Vanya shouldn’t be dating anyone anyways. It was a bad idea. She might lose focus with her violin, which was very important to her and  _ way more  _ important than whatever disgusting person she had a crush on that probably didn’t even know her that well like he did. 

“No,” she said, blushing. “Do you want to keep watching?”

“We can talk if you want,” Five offered, bumping her shoulder. “You got a crush?”

“No,” she snapped. He must’ve looked confused because she amended, “I just worry that when I kiss someone the first time that I’ll do it wrong.”

“I would assume it’s instinctual,” he shrugged. “Not really something to worry about, really.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Five must’ve blacked out at the mission and was in some sort of comatose state where he heard outrageous things while he was knocked out in the infirmary. “ _ What _ ?”

“Just, to… you know, practice?” 

He opened his mouth, made a panicked noise, and closed it.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to, I can ask Ben too!”

Well, how was he supposed to say no when she put it like _that_? He wasn’t going to put Ben in the position of saying no and hurting her feelings when Ben and Vanya had already spent enough less time together recently that he would comment on it.

Five quickly leaned over, pecking her lip before backing away and staring at the wall.

Vanya was blushing, and she said, “I didn’t even have time to react… was I bad at it?”

“I mean you could’ve participated more, but then again it was like less than a second. You’ll be fine. Don’t even have to worry about it anymore, really, considering that you already have the whole first kiss thing or whatever out of the way,” Five tried counting the splatters of paint on the popcorn ceiling.

“Can I do it again to make sure I get it right?” 

Five tried not to nod too eagerly, and she smiled before kissing him again. It was only a little bit longer than the other, but she seemed content.

“Thank you,” she told him. “Can we watch the show now?”

“Yeah, but  _ actually _ watch it this time instead of just talking the entire time.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!


End file.
